What Are the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Obesity and Health?

With all your sleepless nights and late night snacks have you noticed that you’ve gained weight? Many people are curious if lack of sleep can really make an individual fat, and apparently, doctors and researchers have confirmed that it does due to the hormonal imbalance that it does within our body. Now, you know the consequences of sleep deprivation, however, do you really understand and know how this affects your overall health?

How Sleep Affects Our Weight

Let us first know how exactly our body reacts on a continuous lack of sleep. So, have you noticed that when you sleep late you tend to look for food? This is mainly due to your two hormones in your body which control the feelings of hunger and fullness of which level increases when you are sleep deprived—leptin and ghrelin respectively.

A study by researchers has shown that when sleep deprived, women who had a normal weight had a significantly higher food intake, specifically in saturated fat compared to men. Additionally, when we are sleep deprived the level of physical activity that an individual does plummet, along with our caloric expenditure, yet our caloric intake has not declined which results in weight gain.

Richard Simon, MD, a sleep specialist in Walla Walla, WA also stated that since people nowadays are getting less sleep than what people used to, plus all those sleep deprivation features, it perfectly fits up as a model for obesity.

The Complications it Brings

Obesity, as you may have heard from patients or doctors, can lead to uncontrolled diabetes which then may lead to hypertension and increased risk of heart attack—it’s a domino effect really. The earlier an individual develops the disease, the greater is the potential for long-term damage, especially if isn’t quickly diagnosed and brought under treatment.

Another problem and is a major concern is an obesity in children which has an increased incidence of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea technically means a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts—which is now on the rise as children aged 6 to 17 with obesity-associated diseases had a discharge for sleep apnea by 436%.

Go for Healthy Sleep

It is certainly scary how being sleep deprived makes you vulnerable to obesity and other countless diseases. Which is why in pursuit of a healthy body, one should pursue a healthy sleep. Learn about sleep on counting sheep research which would surely help you attain healthy sleep.

Have a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Your body has a body-clock and the most important sleep tip is to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. The circadian rhythm that your body has is regulated by the brain’s structure which helps determine the time you fall asleep and wake up, which is why you should help your body through maintaining your sleep schedule. Remember to have 7-9 hours of sleep within a 24-hour cycle to have a healthy sleep.

Have a Sleep-Inducing Environment

Your sleeping environment affects your sleep greatly which is why having a sleep-inducing environment would surely help you out. The sleeping environment includes furniture choice such as bed and pillow to temperature, noise, and interior lights of your bedroom. You may have overlooked the importance of a great mattress but having one that’s perfect for you will surely create a great impact on having a good night’s rest. Know more about the best mattresses which would fit you at counting sheep research.

Takeaway

The study of sleep is still a mysterious island waiting to be explored, which is why researchers delve into it more than what they did in the past. However, although sleep is still researched, this does not mean that it is not significant to one’s health. In contrast, the more sleep is studied, the more it shows how sleep greatly impacts our mind and body’s health.